Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Foo, Foo, Foo, Chango, and iPhone 6

Yesterday I posted from my new phone, using the Blogger app. I wanted to see whether any improvements or changes came with the iPhone 6, whether Blogger would need to be updated... just troubleshooting. Everything worked the same. And the only thing that needs updating is my own knowledge... I need to teach myself how to get links into the text of a post. Maybe my resolution for 2015 is Experiment. Maybe not. But, today I am fiddling with the camera on the iPhone 6. So far: Wow! Amazing! Super impressed.

And even though Apple didn't ask me to sing their praises, I will say, "This new phone is pretty spiffy."

It's true. From this blog, to microwaves, from my cell phone to the remotes for the television, I am slow and reluctant when it comes to figuring it all out. In fact, I am slow to even posses those articles, and they are here only because of Geoff. He assures me they are safe, interesting, worthwhile, and sometimes even necessary. It never fails to come as a bit of shock to me, but Geoff insists these devices are good, and easily adopted into our modern lifestyle. I drag my bare feet, stand by him, and grimace while he dives in and gets everything humming, synchronized, uploaded, downloaded, and online. I find a chair, sip chamomile tea, and daydream about living in a yurt pay close attention. I am neither boasting about my ignorance, nor particularly ashamed... okay, yes, it is embarrassing, but the truth is instruction manuals, and tutorials on subjects that don't include loads of pictures, or glitter, wool, or chickens, are indescribably inaccessible to my attention span. I lack discipline, or affinity, or the proper neural receptacles, or simply interest... in fact, I believe it is a tragic, yet effective, combination of all four barriers that keep me techreluctant.

But I do like my new phone, and I am thankful for it. And, thanks to Maria, I am learning to navigate IOS. And I do like posting from a mobile device, because sometimes my deep thoughts, and other musings, cannot be contained. And, so, I keep trying. I have figured out our PS3, so I can play movies, and I write my own HTML for Chickenblog... a bit, anyway. I've even used those registers that let you check your own groceries out at the market, though I can't say I am impressed with that whole scene. {All of this to mention that I have a new camera! And it is gorgeous, and small, and new. It came from Mom and Dad, for my birthday, and I've set it all up... and it scares the courage right out of me, so adopting it into my modern lifestyle is going slowly, because I am embarrassingly techreluctant.}

Would you look at my dear, poor, Chango? I've never had any camera that could capture and focus on the details of his face... his nose, the fine whiskers, his dark features, until this iPhone 6. His expression? Yes, I do have many, very many pictures of Chango looking utterly dismayed, ill at ease, confused, dazed, out of sorts. The wide-eyed terror. The twitchy eye. It is his state of being. He is a feral cat who has succumbed to the comforts of domesticity, and even he cannot comprehend how this has all come to pass, or whether it is secure. We adore our Chango. His is a tender, though guarded, soul.

I loved this post! I, too, used to be techreluctant. I was one of the last people to get a microwave oven, a VHS player/recorder, smart phone. I'm terrible at following instructions in books and manuals, and learn much better with just doing it. Once I started in on the computer-related gadgets, though, I was hooked and now love them all. I don't have an iPhone, mine's an Android, and not a super-high-tech one, but I love it. My older sister, who is almost 71 (!!!) loves tech things. When she gets a new computer or phone, she tells the sales staff to show her the most complicated one they have. She says it keeps her brain sharp. I think she's onto something. :)

Yes! I may be techreluctant, but I compensate by being a loud and enthusiastic booster for all people who push and test themselves and embrace challenges in the pursuit of knowledge. You, and your sister, are awesome.

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Chirp-Chirp-Chirp BirdHouse Notes

Is it alright to whine a little bit about how beat I feel? It all seems so overwhelming and dramatic in my head, but I find venting a little actually helps keep things in perspective, and gives me some relief. Also, it might help to take a break to ingest calories. This fatigue can't all be from trouble-shooting, problem solving, and driving around... right?

August 17, 2017

3:40 pm

Funny what I don't notice until it's staring at me... like posting two days in a row about the pleasures and comforts of reading. This makes me think of Grandmother Eunice, of our Little Free Library, of all the happy times when reading and books have brought a new point of view, wonder, knowledge, a connection with the world. What a gift.

August 16, 2017

9:44 am

Rain? Today? Of course... Geoff's car window won't close, and the goat's shelter isn't ready. At least, those are the only two reasons I have for not calling this absolutely the loveliest weather. Truly, I am thankful for the quiet and calm of the gray skies, and the soft drizzle, the cleansing rain giving everything a fresh look and feel.

August 14, 2017

11:30 am

This is an *EXHALE.*

Gratitude. Sigh. Breathe, again, and release.

Yes, I am vague. No... it's nothing fatal. Just life trying to prove my strength and resilience, and keep me humble, too. Who else is ready for this year to settle down, rise, and be kinder, gentler, saner? Peace, friends. Peace, hope, love, and grace. Repeat.

August 14, 2017

4:01 pm

Got up this morning, washed dishes, tidied the kitchen, then at 8:30 went into the office to blog, answer emails, and make dental appointments. When I got up from the desk, it was noon. I am either slow and inefficient, or... nothing. I am slow and inefficient. Time to rethink my priorities. Sometimes, fifteen years of trying my hand at blogging, feels like enough already.

August 7, 2017

1:27 pm

Benevolent Order of Makers

Passionate about S.T.E.A.M.M.!

An Open Air Barn

This is the place we designed and built to keep our chickens, goats, and bunnies happy and safe. It's a dream come true!